When It Is Convenient

By Syed Akbar Ali

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This is addressed primarily to the Muslims (however I hope other folks will also take time to read this. The message is universal). Here are some questions to ponder:

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1. When do we believe in the Quran?

2. Or, do you believe in the Quran?

3. Or, what do you mean when you say ‘Yes, I believe in the Quran?’

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Feeling offended already? Bear with me. Some people think that reading the Surah Yasin on Thursday nights (malam Jumaat) or by the graveside is also what is meant by ‘believing in the Quran’. People like to recite the Surah Yasin to the dead people in the graves.

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Not all Muslims believe in doing this. For example the Wahabis do not do this reciting the Surah Yasin at the graves of the dead people.

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When people recite the Surah Yasin at the gravesides, they are also reciting the following verses - perhaps without understanding what it really means :

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Surah Yasin verses 59 - 64

59. As for you, O guilty ones, you will be set aside.

60. Did I not covenant with you, O Children of Adam, that you shall not worship the Satan? That he is your most ardent enemy?

61. And that you shall worship Me alone? This is the right path.

62. He has misled multitudes of you. Did you not possess any understanding?

63. This is the “Hell” that was promised for you.

64. Today you will burn in it, as a consequence of your disbelief.

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What a terrible fate? To burn in the “hell”. Remember we are reciting these verses to our dearly departed and loved ones inside the graves.

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And here are two more verses from Surah Yasin :

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36: 69 What we taught him (the messenger) was not poetry, nor is he (a poet). This is but a formidable proof,* and a profound Quran.

36: 70 To preach to those who are alive (liyunzira man kana hayyan), and to expose the disbelievers.

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So the Quran is not a book of sing song poetry. Neither was the Prophet a poet who would recite sing song poetry to entertain the people. The prophet was not a reciter of mantras.

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The Quran is a book of guidance, a road map which has guidance. So the Quran has to be taught or preached to human beings who are still alive (man kaana hayyan) so that they may get some benefit from it. This is quite logical isn’t it? You definitely cannot preach the Quran to the dead people.

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Can the dead people inside the graves hear us? I can hear some of you asking : “What kind of a silly question is this?” N’theless there are verses in the Quran about this subject. Here they are (from the Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation):

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35:22 Nor are alike those that are living and those that are dead. God can make any that He wills to hear; but thou canst not make those to hear who are (buried) in graves (man fee al kubur).

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So we cannot make the dead people inside the graves hear us. The dead cannot hear us anyway. Here are two more verses saying the same :

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30:52 So verily thou canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they show their backs and turn away.

27:80 Truly thou canst not cause the dead to listen, nor canst thou cause the deaf to hear the call, (especially) when they turn back in retreat.

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All these references are from the Yusuf Ali translation.

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Most people who are non Arab speaking do not understand anything of what they are reciting from the Quran. But they recite the Arabic anyway, paying more attention to the pronunciation, the melodious sounds and so forth. When you don’t understand what you are reading (the substance of the Koran), but you still want to “recite” it, then you have no choice - you will focus on the sounds, the pronunciation (the form). Such recitation becomes no different from reciting mantras - you don’t understand what you recite but the recitation makes you “feel good“ anyway. Form takes precedence over substance.

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So can we ponder the questions again :

1. When do we believe in the Quran?

2. Or, do you believe in the Quran?

3. Or, what do you mean when you say ‘Yes, I believe in the Quran?’

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Now we come to the subject I want to discuss today. This is the unsavory subject of Dato Eskay making the ‘sumpah laknat’ at the mosque yesterday. I received smses yesterday that Nik Aziz had said in Kelantan that efforts should be made to prevent Dato Eskay from making the ‘sumpah laknat’ at the mosque.

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This is very strange behaviour. Why prevent someone from going to the mosque and doing what he wants to do? This is a free country. No one is going to stop Nik Aziz from making a mockery of Islam or the mosques. That is his right.

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But he has ordered his supporters to prevent Dato Eskay from going to one mosque to say what he wants to say. Pasai apa pula? What is Nik Aziz so afraid of? That is why I keep reminding you folks, if the Pakatan Rakyat comes to power, democracy will die in this country.

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Here is the Quran about the sumpah laknat, Surah 3:61 : “If any one disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full) knowledge Hath come to thee, say: "Come! let us gather together,- our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: Then let us earnestly pray, and invoke the curse of God on those who lie!"

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From the preceding verses, the context of this swearing concerns the story of Jesus Christ. However it is a mechanism that is provided in the Quran.

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Nowhere does the Quran say that the swearing must be done in a mosque. Neither does it say that the person who wants to swear must be free from ‘dosa besar’ - this is what Male X is trying to imply, that Dato Eskay has commited dosa besar and therefore his sumpah laknat is not acceptable.

Read the Quran carefully. In the Quran, the verse 3:61 is actually a challenge to the people who dispute the creation of Jesus Christ - this must refer to the Christians and Jews as well who say that Jesus is the son of god. So they too can do the sumpah laknat :

"Come! let us gather together,- our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: Then let us earnestly pray, and invoke the curse of God on those who lie"

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So can the Jews and Christians be free from Mr X’s understanding of ‘dosa besar’?

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This is an unsavory subject. Yukky. This is not something that happens everyday, all over the world. But neither do you get ‘saya pemimpin Islam’ buggering boys, old Pakistanis, sleeping with China Dolls, having numerous affairs and lying through his teeth everyday. It is an aberration, an anomaly, a serious character flaw that we dont see everyday.

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And this is not the first time he has refused to swear to anything. In the first round he said some Arab wearing a dress had sent him a fax telling him that he need not swear on anything to clear his name.

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The second time, he refused to swear on anything either.

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Then, despite calling himself the seeker of truth, he has refused to give his DNA sample that would establish the truth quite easily.

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Now for the third time he is refusing to swear on anything to clear his name again.

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Smart people have pointed out that if only the wife can produce that missing Swiss watch (which she claims is still with her), it will win them huge points. But until today, the wife simply cannot produce that Swiss watch.

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Anyway the Quran does provide a mechanism - you can swear in public and invoke the wrath of Allah upon whoever is lying. Why is Nik Aziz against this swearing? If we believe in such a thing as Allah and that Allah can cast his anger upon you, then better watch out lah. The sumpah laknat has been done already.

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You cannot believe in the Quran only when it is convenient. At other times you choose to ignore it.

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p.s. I know some of you bull shitters will suddenly become great “religious scholars” and come back with lengthy religious explanations, quoting verses and stuff to support Liwat. As you well know, I delete bullshit.

Perkasa And Bumi Contractors Protest MRT Jobs

By Syed Akbar Ali

I received this from the Perkasa folks. There are some issues going on regarding the MRT extension project. First lets read what they say. I have truncated some of the material.

KENYATAAN MEDIA BERSAMA

PERKASA DAN NGO-NGO USAHAWAN BUMIPUTERA

BANTAHAN KERAS TERHADAP KAEDAH DAN TATACARA PELAKSANAAN TENDER TERBUKA OLEH SYARIKAT PRASARANA NEGARA BERHAD (PRASARANA)/MMC CORPORATION BERHAD – GAMUDA BERHAD JV BAGI PROJEK MASS RAPID TRANSIT LEMBAH KELANG:

JAJARAN SUNGAI BULOH – KAJANG

YANG BERTENTANGAN DENGAN MODEL BARU EKONOMI (MBE)

Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) is the (MRT Project Owner)

MMC Corporation Berhad-Gamuda Berhad JV (MMC-Gamuda JV) is the (Project Delivery Partner) (PDP)

Prasarana on 14 Mac 2011 called for pre qualification tenders ‘Pre Qualification: Elevated Civil Works for MRT dan Pre Qualification: Elevated Stations and Depots for MRT”

What is bugging the Bumi Contractors are these conditions plus a requirement that potential bidders must have a Paid Up Capital of RM10.0 million :

1. Syarikat kontraktor hendaklah mengambil bahagian di dalam tender projek secara bersendirian. Pembidaan secara konsortium atau syarikat usahasama (joint venture) tidak layak dan tidak dibenarkan;

2. Syarikat kontraktor hendaklah mengambil bahagian di dalam tender projek secara bersendirian. Pembidaan secara konsortium atau syarikat usahasama (joint venture) tempatan dengan syarikat luar negara tidak layak dan tidak dibenarkan; dan

3. Penubuhan konsortium atau syarikat usahasama melebihi 2 buah syarikat atau lebih adalah tidak layak dan tidak dibenarkan

Adalah sesungguhnya kami PERKASA dan NGO-NGO Usahawan Bumiputera yang mewakili sebahagian besar penggiat industri pembinaan Melayu-Bumiputera dengan ini ingin menyatakan rasa tidak puas hati dan kecewa terhadap syarat-syarat ketat yang dikenakan oleh Prasarana/MMC-Gamuda JV yang sememangnya menutup dan menafikan hak syarikat kontraktor Bumiputera untuk mengambil bahagian di dalam Projek MRT tersebut.

Prasasarana juga mengenakan syarat pengambilan bon bernilai RM300,000 pada peringkat pra-kelayakan. Syarat ini, selain membeban juga menutup peluang syarikat kontraktor Bumiputera untuk mengambil bahagian di dalam tender projek tersebut.

PERKASA dan NGO-NGO Usahawan Bumiputera turut membangkitkan beberapa persoalan dan isu pokok seperti berikut:

Mengapa terdapat perbezaan syarat yang ketara di antara Pre Qualification Projek MRT dengan Pre Qualification Projek Sambungan LRT bagi Kelana Jaya Line dan Ampang Line (LEP). Di bawah LEP Pre Qualifications hanya dikenakan bagi pakej Elevated Civil Works sahaja dan terbuka kepada semua kontraktor mereka fikir layak dipertimbangkan. Manakala bagi pakej Elevated Stations and Depots adalah terbuka kepada kontraktor Bumiputera sahaja;

Walau bagaimanapun, di bawah Projek MRT, syarat-syarat yang ketat yang dikenakan akan menutup peluang kontraktor Bumiputera untuk memasuki tender khususnya pakej pembinaan stesyen dan depot. Persoalannya ialah:

Mengapa pakej stesyen dan depot dibuka untuk Bukan Bumiputera?

Berapa ramaikah syarikat kontraktor Bumiputera yang mempunyai modal berbayar melebihi RM10 juta?

Berapa ramaikah syarikat kontraktor Bumiputera yang pernah melaksanakan kerja-kerja kejuruteraan sivil melebihi RM50 juta dalam tempoh 5 tahun lepas?

Kenapa dan mengapa penubuhan konsortium atau syarikat usahasama (joint venture) samada dengan syarikat tempatan atau syarikat luar negara bagi Projek MRT tidak dibenarkan walhal di bawah Projek LEP dan semua projek Kerajaan berskala besar, penubuhan konsortium atau syarikat usahasama dibenarkan

NGO-NGO Usahawan Bumiputera melihat seolah-olahnya syarat-syarat ketat ini didalangi dan ditetapkan oleh MMC-Gamuda JV. Apakah Prasarana bekerjasama dengan MMC-Gamuda JV dalam projek ini?

Siapakah yang akan membuat penilaian ke atas tender yang diterima? Adakah benar MMC-Gamuda JV? Jika ia benar apakah peranan Prasarana? Tetapi apa yang jelas kelihatan, pakej pembinaan Projek MRT akan dikuasai dan diboloti oleh MMC-Gamuda dan kontraktor Bumiputera tidak berpeluang langsung mengambil bahagian di dalam projek tersebut.

Tindakan Prasarana/MMC-Gamuda JV untuk meneruskan pengenaan syarat-syarat ketat bagi tender Projek MRT tanpa intervensi Kerajaan akan membawa implikasi yang besar kepada negara.

Kaedah dan tatacara pelaksanaan tender terbuka Projek MRT bertentangan dengan Model Baru Ekonomi kerana mengenepikan aspek keterangkuman yang tidak memberikan peluang yang sama kepada kontraktor Bumiputera menyertai projek;

Ramai kontraktor Bumiputera yang dahagakan projek Kerajaan khususnya projek berskala besar ini. Mereka berharap dapat mengambil bahagian secara adil dan saksama kerana sekiranya diberi peluang, ia akan dapat mewujudkan kesan penggandaan dan limpahan peluang yang boleh dinikmati bersama oleh kontraktor-kontraktor kecil Bumiputera di peringkat sub-kontrak. Dengan itu, kontraktor, pembekal, pekerja dan semua stakeholders Bumiputera dalam rantaian nilai industri pembinaan akan mendapat manfaatnya;

Bertentangan dengan dasar Kerajaan melalui pendekatan inklusif untuk meningkatkan penyertaan Bumiputera dalam ekonomi sebagaimana digariskan di dalam RMK10; dan

Memastikan keseluruhan lebih daripada 400,000 kontraktor Bumiputera berdaftar di seluruh negara tidak memihak kepada Parti Pembangkang dan sebaliknya terus menyokong Kerajaan

PERKASA dan NGO-NGO Usahawan Bumiputera sebulat suara membantah sekeras-kerasnya pengenaan syarat-syarat ketat yang dikenakan oleh Prasarana/MMC-Gamuda JV bagi Projek MRT Lembah Kelang kerana ada usaha-usaha secara terancang yang mengenepikan peluang syarikat kontraktor Bumiputera mengambil bahagian dengan aktif di dalam pelaksanaan projek tersebut.

YAB Perdana Menteri selaku Menteri Kewangan perlu campur tangan dan bertindak segera bagi menanganinya dengan bijak agar manfaat daripada pelaksanaan projek tersebut dapat dinikmati bersama oleh kontraktor Bumiputera dan bukan dibolot oleh segolongan entiti dan kaum tertentu sahaja

12. YAB Perdana Menteri selaku Menteri Kewangan disaran menarik balik dan seterusnya membatalkan syarat-syarat tambahan yang dikeluarkan oleh Prasarana melalui surat edaran Tender No: Prasarana/CPD/KVMRT/E/152/243/2011 – Response to Clarification No. 1 dan Tender No: Prasarana/CPD/KVMRT/E/152/244/2011 – Response to Clarification No. 1 masing-masing bertarikh 30 March 2011.

PERKASA dan NGO-NGO Usahawan Bumiputera

Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, Kampong Baru, Kuala Lumpur

Bertarikh: 21 April 2011

Di sediakan oleh Dr Zubir Harun

Naib Presiden Perkasa

Here are my views. In a project this size, I believe there is enough for everyone to get a share. The socio-economic role is crucial. If the bumiputra contractors cannot get a slice of the contracts to build the largest MRT Project in their own Tanah Melayu, then where else are they going to get a crack at participating in huge projects like these?

May I suggest that at least 30% of the contract value be reserved for the bumiputra contractors? Is it that difficult for a bumiputra contractor to build an LRT Station? Or a platform or parts of a track or road?

There is a socio economic function that also needs to be performed. It may involve some extra work by Prasarana but why not set up a special unit to engage the Bumiputra contractors, oversee their performance and monitor their delivery. It may take some extra work, tapi kalau orang Melayu sendiri dah tak mahu tolong orang Melayu, habis siapa nak tolong orang Melayu lagi?

The biggest problem with the bumi contractors has always been financial resources. The RM10.0 Paid Up Capital requirement will certainly eliminate the vast majority of them. Tak boleh ke longgarkan sikit syarat ini? The important thing is they must perform.

In the past, that is also why they needed to form consortiums – to overcome these type of Paid Up Capital restrictions. But here even the ‘consortium’ route has been blocked off. They cannot form consortiums for this project.

In the past, bumi contractors have formed consortiums and they have been able to complete the jobs.

Here is the bottom line : We want the bumiputra contractors to finish the jobs according to specs, on time and within budget. And we want them to do the jobs by themselves – no selling down to Ali Babas.

With this main objective in mind, can Prasarana sit down and come out with solutions how to go about achieving this?

I am sure the bumiputra contractors will not mind other non-financial conditions. Give them a chance. Bottom line is :

1. Projek siap on time

2. Projeck siap ikut specs

3. Jangan jual kontrak, kena buat sendiri.

Kalau Melayu tak tolong Melayu, habis siapa nak tolong Melayu lagi. Some people say that the real culprit here is SPAD and not Prasarana. Botak tak nak tolong Melayu ke?

Undesirable Aliens An Election Issue

By Syed Akbar Ali

Been getting busier over the past weeks. Yup just came back from an SPRM meeting. Everything takes up time. My wife and I run a couple of businesses too - which also requires our time. Then there is the reading, classes and stuff. Everything takes up time.

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On Monday I was talking to a young man who received a phone call from his friend saying that an Arab guy had been caught stealing a laptop computer in a mosque during the Maghrib prayer time. I believe this is not the first time such things are happening.

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On Tuesday while I was at the KLCC, I went to the Gent's. I noticed a tall, young Mat Salleh woman leaning against the wall, lepak style and waiting for someone. This was by itself strange because rarely do you see Mat Salleh's lepaking or leaning against the wall outside the Gent's. I also realised this was not an Anglo-Saxon Mat Salleh (not English speaking). Possibly Central or Eastern European or maybe South American.

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Then inside the Gent's there was this off-white coloured Mat Salleh standing outside a closed toilet (to break the suspense nothing happened, no theft occured either) like as though he was waiting for his turn to use the can. There were some other people in the Gent's including these two most outrageous little Chinese boys and their obviously orang kaya father. I saw the Mat Salleh intensely eyeing the little boys and their father. Then the Mat Salleh realised that I was noticing him too.

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He looked very nervous. This was a few minutes already because there were many people in the Gent's. Then I realised that the doors to the cans (WC) opened and closed yet the Mat Salleh did not enter any of them. So he was just pretending to stand there. I went ahead, used the toilet, washed my hands and dried them and the Mat Salleh guy was still standing there. I think he was up to no good. He looked at me again, looked down and away and then at me again. Then he just left, twice looking at me over his shoulder. Once outside he joined up with the tall Mat Salleh girl and they took off in a hurry. I dont know what they were up to but I think they were up to no good. I think my observing him had frightened the guy from doing something not so good.

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A few months ago my wife and I were shopping at a well known retailer at the KLCC again. Suddenly a Middle Eastern couple (Arab or Iranian) came up to us. The guy asked me if I could help him. He said he was buying a jacket for his father who he said was about my height and size. Would I try the jacket on so that he could see how it fit? Being the obliging dungu that I am, I did try it on. Then the guy came near me and started patting my shoulder and my chest to 'see if it was loose or tight'. Then I realised that this guy was a conman. A thief. He was trying to pick my pocket. I just took off the jacket, handed it back to him and walked off.

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My wife and I then moved on but I wanted to stop and see what else the Middle Eastren guy would do. True enough almost immediately he and his woman approached a very thin and quite elderly Chinese man with the same jacket that he had asked me to try. They were asking the Chinese man to do the same thing. But the Chinese man was not so obliging. I immediately began looking for a security guard but thats when you can never find one. Plus we had to rush back too.

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We see a lot of these people in Kuala Lumpur nowadays. Arabs, Iranians, Eastern Europeans, South Americans who are credit card cheats, crooks, thieves, drug smugglers, black money con artists, recruiters of drug mules and the list goes on.

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In Jalan Masjid India, a few Money Changers have fallen victim to Columbian gangs. They come in groups and prey on the people who come to change money. They use tricks like causing a commotion, dropping money on the floor etc and then take advantage of the confusion to steal.

Now please watch this You Tube of the same type of people (Mat Salleh type - Middle Eastern, South American, Eastern European) stealing bags at Sunway Pyramid.

They work in teams and use clever tactics to steal. Here is another video of another group of Mat Sallehs stealing a Malay woman's bag from Swenson's :

OK the point I am trying to make is that why do we allow so many of these foreigners into our country so easily? May I suggest that except for our traditional trading partner countries we tighten up the visa and other regulations required for foreigners to travel to Malaysia? Can our Immigration or our Embassies overseas think up procedures to delay or reduce the number of undesirable people who want to travel to Malaysia? We need to screen people who want to come here.

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It is getting quite bad. The Iranians have taken up permanent residence here. Going by the newsreports too many of them are drug dealers. In Masjid India there is a fairly new Budget hotel which is frequented by these Iranians. They are well dressed, dont carry any cameras (meaning they are NOT tourists) and have tons of US Dollars to spend. They stay here for prolonged periods. How do they support themselves? Anyone care to make a guess?

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The Iranians have taken over parts of Ampang. Now you see many of them around Mont Kiara and Sri Hartamas. No 9-5 jobs, no obvious means of income but they have tons of money to spend. Duit mana mari?

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In Malaysia we are always dungu. The Government always just lets things go from bad to worse. Let the strange Mat Salleh types into the country by the thousands to steal the peoples' handbags, briefcases etc. The Government does not care. Let the Iranians make drug mules of our young girls. The Government does not seem to care too much either. The African brothas who get involved in all kinds of crap in the country (black money scams, cheating scams, credit card scams etc) still have free entry into the country.

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We do not need these undesirable aliens being allowed into our country. Screen them, impose stricter visa rules, deny them entry. The US Embassy asks for a non refundable RM500 fee to process your visa. And you may not get the Visa approved. I think they are being wise. If they dont like you, they dont let you into the country.

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The genuine businessmen and the genuine visitors somehow get through. Lets do the same thing. Lets impose say an RM500 non refundable deposit to process Visas at our embassies overseas. orget about the 'Islamic Brotherhood' thing among the Islamic countries and other such crap. They are coming here and stealing our handbags.

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Can you all please send me your comments about this? Lets put some pressure on the Government to take some positive action over this. Lets make this an election issue, especially for those of us here in Kuala Lumpur.

Singapore General Elections : The PAP Song

1st Malaysian Asean Regional Bloggers Conference

By Syed Akbar Ali

Hi folks. I could not update my Blog because I was busy with the Bloggers Conference from Friday till last nite. All the papers today carried news about the 1^st Malaysian Asean Regional Bloggers Conference which was organized by Bloghouse Malaysia. As you all may know I am the President of Bloghouse Malaysia. The Deputy President is Akramsyah Sanusi. Rocky is the Advisor and Datuk Nuraina Samad is on the EXCO.

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The Prime Minister officiated our association yesterday. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed was also present as our Patron.

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The picture above is from the Utusan Online. Here are some news clippings (which I have clipped further):

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From Kosmo

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia memberi jaminan tidak akan menapis Internet yang dijanjikan Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata, jaminan itu diberikan selaras dengan janji Dr. Mahathir kepada dunia...

"Kerajaan pimpinan saya komited sepenuhnya terhadap pandangan bijak beliau itu, kami tidak akan memungkiri janji beliau," katanya ketika merasmikan Persidangan Penulis-Penulis Blog Rantau Malaysia-ASEAN pertama di sini semalam.

Turut hadir ialah Dr. Mahathir selaku penaung Blog House Malaysia dan Presiden Blog House Malaysia, Syed Akbar Ali.”

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The picture here shows the PM meeting some of the local folks. Extending his hand is the Blogger Sri Tri Buana. Looking on is 'YB Kamal' (YB Kamalanathan) - also a Blogger himself.

Here is The Star

‘Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has pledged to uphold the Government's promise not to censor the Internet.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had promised that Malaysia would never censor the Internet. . . “The current Government intends to keep to his word,” Najib said ..

Among those present were ..Dr Mahathir and Blog House Malaysia president Syed Akbar Ali.

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Here is The Sun : Najib: We don't fear bloggers

KUALA LUMPUR (April 24, 2011): The government does not fear bloggers but wants to be part of them and know their views, even if it is constructive criticism..

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"I believe this relationship will be an important relationship based on mutual respect. We might not agree all the time but we cannot be disagreeable.
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"What is important for us is to put forward your (bloggers) views, even your constructive criticism and together we can build a better Malaysia and future for us," he said ..

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Also present were the patron of Blog House Malaysia Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, president of Blog House Malaysia Syed Akbar Ali and Najib's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

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Here is the Berita Harian

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KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak berkata, kerajaan tidak takut dengan pandangan penulis blog, sebaliknya mahu menjadi rakan blogger kerana pandangan mereka diperlukan, termasuk kritikan membina untuk bersama-sama membentuk masa depan lebih baik untuk negara dan rakyat.

Hadir sama Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor; bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad bersama isteri, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali dan Presiden Blog House Malaysia (BHM), Syed Akbar Ali. Pada majlis itu, Dr Mahathir turut diumumkan sebagai Penaung BHM.

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Here is the NST, which is ‘sin nombre’ :

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“KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad hopes bloggers will find a middle path in expressing their views to help improve the country.

He said some blogs and newspapers were either too supportive of the government or too negative about how the country was being run.

"They must find a middle path to deal with the issues at hand so that we can contribute to society in a better way," he said..

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Here is the Utusan, which is also ‘sin nombre’ :

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KUALA LUMPUR 24 April - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata, kerajaan tidak pernah gentar dengan pengendali-pengendali blog, sebaliknya mahu mereka menjadi sebahagian daripada kerajaan.

Kata Perdana Menteri, meskipun kerajaan mungkin tidak bersetuju dengan kumpulan itu pada kebanyakan masa, namun situasi tidak bersetuju tersebut adalah penting bagi kedua-dua pihak.

Kerajaan juga jelasnya, sentiasa mengalu-alukan kritikan yang konstruktif serta membina dan mahu bekerja bersama-sama pengendali blog sebagai sebuah pasukan.

"Terdapat perbezaan antara bercanggah pendapat dan berpendirian untuk tidak bersetuju.”

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Sin nombre means ‘without name’ – my name as President of Bloghouse is not mentioned by the NST and Utusan. Oh well..

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The Conference went very well. There were interesting participants from the ASEAN countries. I want to record my thanks and appreciation to the Prime Minister for having taken the time to grace the occasion. He is the first ASEAN leader to engage the Bloggers so willingly. Here are some stories I heard from the other ASEAN Bloggers:

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In Singapore, their ‘Garmen’ has gazetted a critical Blog as a ‘political association’. This means the Blog must now follow the tight rules set for political parties in Singapore. By the way, a 'Singapore Rebellion' similar to the Arab Rebellion can be expected in their coming General Elections on May 7th. The ruling PAP received only 67% of the popular votes in their last General Elections. One Singapore Blogger says this figure could go below 60%. They say the PAP will still win, maybe even in every constituency - but the total popular votes cast is going to go down. Lets see.

In Brunei, political Blogs are just not allowed. The Brunei people all speak superb English – their education system is similar to what our education system was in the 1970s (or the Singapore education system). With such good English skills, it is going to be even more difficult for them NOT to be able to Blog about politics and their society.

The greatest fun is to talk with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed. We received him at the lobby and walked up with Tun. I briefed him of the day’s program and stuff. Tun was at his super razor sharp wit. When I told him he would be invited to say a few words, he said, ‘I don’t want to make long speeches’. When I reassured him ‘Its only about 10 minutes Sir’ he shot back ‘Only 10 minutes?’ And it went on like that.

We are happy that Ayahanda Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed has agreed to be our Patron. I hope all the members of Bloghouse Malaysia as well as all Bloggers will heed his advice. To be responsible when we Blog.

Why Are The Islamic Countries Poor?

By Syed Akbar Ali

I have spoken about this before. Here is more information which I hope will be useful. I delivered a talk at the INTAN the other day (Institut Tadbiran Awam Negara). The topic was the rebellion going on in the Arab countries. I was invited to speak because of my book ‘Malaysia And The Club of Doom – The Collapse of the Islamic Countries’.

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I only had 15 minutes so I could only say some of the things which I had prepared to speak.

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I did mention about humanistic values versus preserving the status quo. Because I was addressing senior Civil Servants, I put it across that whatever policies we formulate or belief systems that we uphold - there is always an economic cost to it. It is important that we do not burden the people with extra cost. I also stated that when the costs go up, it is always the poor people who suffer the most. The poor people end up paying more.

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The Muslims must make sure that their beliefs do not burden themselves with extra costs in comparison with the non Muslims. Because if the Muslims end up suffering higher costs of living, as a result of their belief systems (plural because there are many belief systems among Muslims), then after the passage of time, they will become poorer than the non Muslims around them. So please don’t blame others for our problems.

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In Malay there is a saying ‘biar mati anak jangan mati adat’. In other words, we shall preserve the status quo (our traditions, our culture, our belief systems) at all cost. Mati anak pun takpe, asalkan kita tidak tinggalkan adat.

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This concept goes directly against the idea of humanistic values. Humanistic values means you worry more about the welfare of the individual human being. No need to care so much about traditions, beliefs and such which may sacrifice the needs and rights of the individual. Many of the fastest developing countries in the world today that used to be poor (China, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore, Brazil) are making rapid advances because their society is now more humanistic compared to before. They have at last learnt to ignore stifling traditions, choking cultures, caste systems and outdated religious beliefs. They have realised that paying close attention to the individuals welfare and well being (using science, common sense, logic and modern management) yields an overall higher standard of living for the society.

But sad to say the vast majority of Muslims are less humanistic. They are more into preserving the status quo. Biar mati anak. (Remember the ‘tangkap khalwat’ gangsters who chased people to jump to death from the balconies and the buildings).

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Here are some other examples.

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I have a friend who has a PhD. He was very much into all things Soofy. At least until he ran into an upstart, Yours Truly. I reminded him often about Goofy. So now he is much less of a *oofy. Don’t worry he rarely reads my Blog. Only if I remind him about something.

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My friend makes an annual pilgrimage to South Africa where he meets his *oofy friends. In Durban the Muslims have proudly and successfully campaigned and won a ‘concession’ from the authorities or powers that be that supermarkets and fresh markets conform with halal labeling for food, including vegetables. Organic fertilizers from certain animals should not be used in the farms, handling has to be segregated etc. But this adds to the costs of production. The end result is that ‘halal’ tomatoes and cabbages can cost as much as 20% more than the regular variety of tomatoes sold in the markets.

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So the cost of living has gone up for the Muslims in Durban. They pay 20% more for some of the vegetables. They become poorer first. The poor suffer the most. How can there be such a thing as a ‘non halal’ tomato? Even if pig manure was used to fertilise the tomatoes, it is just a plant that absorbs nutrients from the soil. Anyway, this insistence costs the Muslims more money. It adds to the Muslims cost of living. It makes the poor poorer.

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Until recently, (or even now) in many Islamic countries there is no such thing as simple hire purchase financing. A young man who is 20 years old cannot get a simple loan to buy a motorbike. So his mobility and economic prospects are limited. Why is there no hire purchase financing? Because it is ‘Western’, ‘chistian’, ‘riba’, ‘unIslamic’, ‘we are not used to such things’ etc etc.

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The non Muslims do not suffer such ‘*oofyisms’ hence they are less constrained in their economic development.

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I have mentioned about the fish farm in Melaka before. The Chinese farmer used to grow Tilapia, a cheap and affordable fish for the local market. Cheap and affordable means many Muslim people can also eat it lah. I like Tilapia fried with kicap and cili pedas from the local warong. With rice, ‘begedil’ and kuah lemak it is yummy.

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Anyway the ‘halal certificate’ people suddenly imposed wild restrictions on the Chinese Tilapia farmer. He was feeding the Tilapia offal (perut and sisa bangkai) from the market, especially perut ayam or chicken offal. The ‘halal people’ told him that if he wanted a halal certification, he could only give the Tilapia offal (perut ayam) from halal slaughtered chicken !! Folks, the profit margin on Tilapia from farm to wholesaler is less than one Ringgit per kilo. Now with the new halal rules imposed, the profit margin went out the window. His costs of production went up. So the Chinese farmer stopped producing Tilapia fish.

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So now the Muslim people who were the biggest consumers of Tilapia in that area, have less Tilapia to buy. The prices of other fish will also go up. Siapa jadi miskin dulu? The saddest thing is there is one less food item to be put on the table for the children.

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The last example is the famous judgement by Justice Abdul Wahab Patail against the Islamic bank. An Islamic bank was trying to bully and impoverish a Muslim borrower who had defaulted on a loan just a few years into their housing loan. The Islamic bank wanted the Muslim borrower to pay for the entire loan plus profit (capital plus interest) for the full tenure of the loan. This is worse than Shylock the Jewish moneylender and the Ah Longs all put together. So Justice Abdul Wahab Patail, taking the humanistic view, ruled against the Bank. He said the Bank can only ask for the return of its principal amount plus whatever profit (aka interest) that must be calculated until the date of the default. Not more than that.

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The Islamic banks soon went into panic stations. They got together, complained to the Government and got the rules changed. ‘Biar mati anak, jangan mati adat’ kicked in. We must preserve the status quo, at all cost. So now, if there is a dispute at the Courts, all Islamic banking loans must be deferred to the Shariah Advisor of Bank Negara Malaysia. Biar mati anak dulu.

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So this is how the Muslims become poorer. The Muslims impoverish themselves.

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Is the Quran a humanistic document or does it ask us to preserve some strange status quo? Is the Quran a “biar mati anak, jangan mati adat’ type of document.

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Here are some verses from the Quran that provide the answer:

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Surah 2:170 “When they are told, "Follow what GOD has revealed herein," they say, "We follow only what we found our parents doing." What if their parents did not understand, and were not guided?”

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It is possible that our parents and grandparents did not know much or were themselves not clear about things. This is especially true of the Muslims. There are a thousand different interpretations, sects, beliefs and theologies dividing the Muslims around the world today.

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The Muslims just blindly follow what their previous generations told them was the truth, without bothering to check if indeed these teachings are true or false. And most if not ALL of these teachings are extra Quranic. They cannot be found in the Quran.

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So it will be disastrous if we insist on blindly upholding what our parents believed in. So lets not rely too much on “adat” and “kepercayaan”, especially when it is NOT from the Quran. Here is another one from the Quran :

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Surah 7:172 - 173 "Recall that your Lord summoned all the descendants of Adam, and had them bear witness for themselves: "Am I not your Lord?" They all said, "Yes. We bear witness." Thus, you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection, "We were not aware of this." Nor can you say, "It was our parents who associated things, and we simply followed in their footsteps. Will You punish us because of what others have innovated?"

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So we point the finger at our ancestors, our parents, our elders. We cannot push the blame on our parents, our adat, our belief system which we have inherited from our parents.

We cannot say ‘Takda, takda, ini semua bukan salah saya. Tok moyang saya yang ajar saya buat macam ini. Saya ikut saja. Dia kata saya tak boleh guna akal. Saya ikut saja. Saya tak tahu apa pun.”

In the meantime, in this life here on earth, siapa jadi miskin dulu? Biar mati anak dulu ke?